Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

अश्वत्थफलनिर्यासपानात्प्राणा मया धृताः । गौणं तदा तया तस्य पिप्पलादेति कल्पि तम्

Transliteration

aśvatthaphalaniryāsapānātprāṇā mayā dhṛtāḥ | gauṇaṃ tadā tayā tasya pippalādeti kalpi tam

Translation

قال: «بشربِ عصارةِ ثمرِ شجرةِ الأَشْوَتَّها (البيپَّلا) حفظتُ أنفاسَ حياتي». فلذلك سمَّته حينئذٍ باسمٍ ثانويّ: «پِپْپَلادَا».

Word by Word

• अश्वत्थ-फल-निर्यास-पानात्: from drinking the sap/juice of the aśvattha fruit
• अश्वत्थ-फल-निर्यास-पानात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वत्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + निर्यास (प्रातिपदिक) + पान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (बहुपद-तत्पुरुष; ‘अश्वत्थस्य फलस्य निर्यासस्य पानम्’); पानात् = पान (नपुंसक) पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ (because of/drinking of)

• प्राणाः: life-breaths, life
• प्राणाः: Karma (Patient in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम

• धृताः: were sustained/held
• धृताः: Kriya (Passive predicate/कर्मणि-विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु) → धृत (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग

• गौणम्: secondary, figurative (name)
• गौणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गौण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (नामकरणे)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• तया: by her
• तया: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him / for him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पिप्पलात्: from the pippala (aśvattha)
• पिप्पलात्: Hetu/Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिप्पल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘पिप्पलात्’ इति रूपं (पिप्पल-शब्दात्)

• इति: thus, as (so-called)
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• कल्पितम्: was devised/assigned
• कल्पितम्: Kriya (Passive predicate/कर्मणि-विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कॢप् (धातु) → कल्पित (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘गौणम्’ इति कर्म-विशेषण

Speaker

Pippalāda (explaining how he survived)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (aśvattha-sthala within)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The son explains he lived by drinking the sap-juice of aśvattha fruit; the mother bestows the name Pippalāda. A sacred peepal tree dominates the scene, radiating protective presence.

Characters & Entities

• Pippalāda
• Aśvattha (Pippala tree)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred nature sustains life; the aśvattha becomes a dharmic symbol of protection and providence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s māhātmya; the sacred fig motif strengthens the sanctity of the locale.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal ritual is prescribed; the verse highlights the sacred fig’s life-sustaining role.